Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson set a new world 800m indoor record time of one minute 54.87 seconds in Lievin, beating the near 24-year-old standard set on the day she was born.

Hodgkinson, who stormed to 800m gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, shaved nearly a second off the previous best, 1min 55.82secs, achieved by Jolanda Ceplak at the European Championships in Vienna on March 3, 2002.

The 23-year-old was primarily relieved she had backed up her words from earlier in the week, when she confidently told a press conference the record was hers to take.

“Thank God!” she declared in a trackside interview with World Athletics.

“No, that was really fun. I’ve been really looking forward to this for a good few weeks, so thank you for the amazing crowd.

“I wasn’t running alone, I had lots of help over here.”

Hodgkinson opened her season at the UK indoor championships, running 1:56.33 without pacemakers or wavelights to move third on the all–time list, before turning her focus to Thursday night in France.

Speaking trackside at that event in Birmingham, the Atherton athlete mused that she “accidentally ran quite fast” without help.

Thursday night’s feat was no happy accident. All the tools were in place in Lievin, where the wavelights were set at 55.8s at the halfway point and 1:53.80 overall.

Hodgkinson followed designated pacemaker Anna Gryc of Poland through 200m in 26.47s and 55.56s at the 400m mark before striking out solo, clocking 1:25.06 three quarters of the way through.

She clapped her hands after crossing the line, where she accepted congratulations from her fellow competitors before splaying out like a starfish on the track to soak in the rousing appreciation from the crowd.

Hodgkinson was also congratulated by her coaches, Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, as well as training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell – the Olympic 1,500m bronze and world silver medallist who had clinched her own victory earlier in the evening.

The new world-record holder, still full of energy, then made a beeline for her family, taking a selfie to cement the milestone in memory.

Really, can you blame J.J. Spaun? Probably not due to the special place in his heart this particular piece of equipment might hold.

At the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the 2025 U.S. Open champ was asked if the USGA — the organization that runs the U.S. Open — ever asked him for a meaningful club from his victory to keep for its archives.

Yes, Spaun said — but he didn’t let them have it.

“I said, ‘Unfortunately, I can’t,’” Spaun said. “That thing is not ready to be retired, especially after that putt.”

That putt, you might remember, is the 64-footer he used to win the 125th U.S. Open in walk-off fashion at Oakmont Country Club last June.

“Viktor [Hovland], we kind of got a good line, a good read on the speed,” Spaun said after his win at Oakmont, when he drained the birdie try to secure his first major title. “I was more focused on how hard he was hitting it. I kind of knew the line already, but it looked like he gave it a pretty good whack because it started raining there for the last 10, 15 minutes. I just tried to pick my line and put a good stroke on it. I knew it was going to be a little slow. About 8 feet out, I kind of went up to the high side to see if it had a chance of going in, and it was like going right in. I was just in shock, disbelief that it went in and it was over. Yeah, here we are.”

Strands Answers and Hints (February 20, 2026): Looking for hints? Find today’s Strands answers and helpful tips here!

Strands offers a fresh challenge in the NYT’s lineup of daily games, inviting players to uncover hidden words within a 6×8 letter grid. Each day brings a unique theme and grid, making it a great test of vocabulary and pattern recognition, but it can get tough at times.

Stuck on the spangram or today’s theme? We’ve got all the hints and clues you need to solve today’s Strands puzzle with confidence.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Only read on if you want to know today’s Strands answers.

Today’s Strands Theme

To begin, let’s see what theme has been shared for today’s puzzle on the site.

Today’s theme is: TRUE GRIT

Is it very vague? I’ll explain the theme a bit more so you know what to look for:

• This theme encompasses textures and qualities that can create discomfort or irritation. Often associated with surfaces or materials that lack smoothness or gentleness, it evokes sensations that are abrasive or unrefined. The theme suggests a rugged nature, highlighting elements that can provoke a more intense tactile experience.

Today’s NYT Strands Hints

Still puzzled by today’s game? Here are some helpful hints to assist you:

Strands Hint 1: What are the starting letters of today’s words?

There are 7 words including the spangram.

Below are the starting letters & lengths for each of the theme words:

• Starts with “A” and has 8 letters.
• Starts with “C” and has 6 letters.
• Starts with “H” and has 5 letters.
• Starts with “P” and has 7 letters.
• Starts with “R” and has 5 letters.
• Starts with “S” and has 8 letters.

And today’s spangram starts with “S”.

Strands Hint 2: Where are today’s words located on today’s strands grid?

Here are some clues about their starting positions. For all words except the spangram:

• 1 word starts from the top row
• 1 word starts from the bottom row
• 1 word starts from the left edge of the grid
• 1 word starts from the right edge of the grid
• 2 words start from the middle of the grid

Today’s NYT Strands Clue Words

Still puzzled by today’s game? Here are some helpful hints to assist you:

• LIVRE
• SIRE
• RESAT
• CLYPEI
• SAIRER
• COVE

In the next section, you’ll see today’s Strands answers! Hold up if you’d like to keep puzzling.

Today’s NYT Strands Spangram

Now for the exciting part! Here’s today’s Strands spangram:

SANDPAPER

Today’s NYT Strands Answers

These are the rest of today’s Strands answers to help you complete the game:

• ABRASIVE
• COARSE
• HARSH
• PRICKLY
• ROUGH
• SCRATCHY

Yesterday’s NYT Strands Answer (19 February 2026)

Still attempting to crack yesterday’s Strands (Thursday, 19 February 2026)? Or checking in from a different timezone? No worries—we’ve got you covered with the answers!

Find yesterday’s Strands answers, hints and spangram here.

Yesterday’s Strands theme was:

HERE’S A THOUGHT

Yesterday’s Spangram was:

EUREKA

Yesterday’s Strands Answers were:

• CONCEPT
• HYPOTHESIS
• IDEA
• NOTION
• POSTULATE
• THEORY

This wraps up our coverage of today’s Strands answers, hints, and spangram. If you enjoy word games, we offer answers and solvers for many NYT games. Check out: